Start8 and ModernMix -- Windows 8's last, best hope for normality

[Berkey]

All one has to do is to look at all of the tweaks available to make Windows 8 Look like Windows 7. You can start HERE

I guess my two cents would be, why should I to buy a new OS, only to make a bunch of changes and disable specific features new to 8, just to get back to the OS that I know and love? I understand that new features and design may make the overall speed and the like faster and more efficient, but 7 has made me happy and unless 8 can read my mind before I perform an action I don't think a thing like a slight speed increase is enough for me to change over. I know there is more to be said for 8, but I'm comfortable with 7 and can't see any huge value to entice me to switch over, especially if all I'm going to do is spend time switching it back over.

Now if I was a fan of touch screens and such than yes the demo would have been enough to sway me, but I have a separate tablet for touch screen simple browsing, I do not want to reach to the screen to swipe. One of the other reasons I won't make that jump (desktop that is) is as a professional trainer, I deal with a lot of people who suffer from upper crossed syndrome, or a very anterior shift in their body alignment, due to largely their jobs of sitting, and typing with their arms always protruding forward. It leads to over/under use of particular muscle groups, which then has negative effects on the surrounding area and can cause specific problems with range of motion and shoulder stability. I can't imagine the people I will be seeing in 5-6 years if reaching your arm in front of you becomes the norm, rotator and shoulder girdle stability are going to be hurting. Of course that's just the trainer in me

 

[FuturDreamz]

If users would adapt to change and learn the win key short cuts they would see Win 8 is easier and faster to manage. Win 8 will survive if the business community can find a place for it in its offices. You can remove tablet, touch screen features as I said before. I don't find much merit into the gamer or Facebook user argument that it sucks because your having a hard time learning to navigate it.

Why should we? If we don't like it, we don't buy it. If you don't like Haggis you don't buy it. The market is speaking. The 8 crowd come out with lame excuses about we should do this we should do that. This is a free market if we don't like it we are not buying into it. Windows 7 fits my needs perfectly. Windows 8 which I have a copy of does not. I don't like it simple as that. You like it fine, good for you but telling me I should waste good money and time doing this that and the other to do the same as I already can do in a superior environment does not cut the mustard.

Yes, but you don't see people in the supermarket screaming "I HATE HAGGIS I WILL NEVER BUY IT"

 

[Iforgot]

If users would adapt to change and learn the win key short cuts they would see Win 8 is easier and faster to manage. Win 8 will survive if the business community can find a place for it in its offices. You can remove tablet, touch screen features as I said before. I don't find much merit into the gamer or Facebook user argument that it sucks because your having a hard time learning to navigate it.

Why should we? If we don't like it, we don't buy it. If you don't like Haggis you don't buy it. The market is speaking. The 8 crowd come out with lame excuses about we should do this we should do that. This is a free market if we don't like it we are not buying into it. Windows 7 fits my needs perfectly. Windows 8 which I have a copy of does not. I don't like it simple as that. You like it fine, good for you but telling me I should waste good money and time doing this that and the other to do the same as I already can do in a superior environment does not cut the mustard.

Yes, but you don't see people in the supermarket screaming "I HATE HAGGIS I WILL NEVER BUY IT"

But you are not being force feed the Haggis....

If the pc supplier will let the customer choose which O/S they would like, then that's a different story.

As I see it, Win7 is still available, so what's the problem with a customer choosing which O/S they want, and order that with the new pc.
If the store cannot do that, then go somewhere else.

If M$ are only supplying the dealers with Win8, the that might be a problem.

 

[Night Hawk]

of Course the desire to make an OS look the same as it used to be isn't new as Here

Hasn't that always been the case while Vista at least saw the "options" for the Classic Windows themes as well as the then new Aero being brought in. This time however MS left no "options" and where most of the complaints are. They slipped up!

Why should we? If we don't like it, we don't buy it. If you don't like Haggis you don't buy it. The market is speaking. The 8 crowd come out with lame excuses about we should do this we should do that. This is a free market if we don't like it we are not buying into it. Windows 7 fits my needs perfectly. Windows 8 which I have a copy of does not. I don't like it simple as that. You like it fine, good for you but telling me I should waste good money and time doing this that and the other to do the same as I already can do in a superior environment does not cut the mustard.

Yes, but you don't see people in the supermarket screaming "I HATE HAGGIS I WILL NEVER BUY IT"

But you are not being force feed the Haggis....

If the pc supplier will let the customer choose which O/S they would like, then that's a different story.

As I see it, Win7 is still available, so what's the problem with a customer choosing which O/S they want, and order that with the new pc.
If the store cannot do that, then go somewhere else.

If M$ are only supplying the dealers with Win8, the that might be a problem.

Dell(mare) offers the choice of Windows or "Linux" when ordering a new pc through them directly. You "choose" the OS that will come preinstalled as has been their offer for some time now. And you can imagine many that got a look at 8 before ordering won't be wanting 8 on any new desktop pc!

According a few sources namely blog writers if 8 sales slump as bad or worse then Vsita's and Vista's so far were better then 8's in the early months of sales MS could re-release 7 since it will maintain support until 2020. At one time I wasn't thrilled about letting 98SE go either since nothing on the old Legacy version could be made to run on XP. But new boards and time passes eliminated 98SE except for VMs!

Likewise as hardwares tend to see a fast turnover while giant performance leaps are not like they were in previous years new hardwares mean support for the latest versions of which OS(s) are supported which will eventually see 7 past tense! When that time comes hopefully MS will have something out that everyone will want! once they remember what the desktop platform is supposed to be!

 

[FuturDreamz]

Dell lets me get Windows 7 on their Alienwares. In fact they make it a little trickier to get Windows 8

 

[Night Hawk]

When Dell sales slumped after Vista came out they started the OS choice your own option when ordering any new pc through them. That was due to people not wanting Vista back in 2007 where they simply allowed people to choose XP instead. Linux options came in later. With 8 now the new and brightest you can imagine people still want to see 7!

 

[Dallas 7]

i was generalizing about the endless posts and threads slamming 8, not just on this forum, on the internet in general.
its become really boring. given that 8 is based on the 7 structure then i dont see how folks can have too much of a problem with usage,
i understand they may dislike the look and feel of it but i dont think it warrants the hate that is going around.
reminds me of die hard XP users.

Boohbah, you can't compare the XP situation to W7/W8, it's like apples and oranges.
When Vista came out, at least it wasn't aimed at killing the desktop, but W8 is, and Blue is continuing the trend.
You want to know what "warrants the hate going around", it's that M$ is in the process of ditching the desktop for no good reason.

And what are they replacing it with? A touchscreen tablet/phone interface. No choices, no preferences, take it or leave it.
This is not a passing fancy. W8 is not M$'s ultimate goal, it's a stepping stone, and if they get their way, our desktop's days are numbered.

Some keep parroting that anyone who doesn't like W8 just doesn't like "CHANGE". As if "change" in and of itself is automatically a good thing. Well what profound truth is that theory based on?
"Change" can be bad or good. It's only great when it's a step forward, and W8 /Blue doesn't qualify.

Ditching the desktop environment and perfectly good W7 OS for an unattractive, unintuitive swipe/drag touchscreen tablet/phone interface, with no choice, no options, is NOT good unless you're just into tablets.

So yes, there are a lot of us out here who hate what M$ is doing to the desktop.
Wouldn't people hate it if M$ decided you have to use a Mouse for your phone and tablet?? Think about it!
What's the difference? Touchscreens for desktops are as useful as a mouse for tablets and phones.

Paul Thurrott says about Blue:
"It appears that Microsoft’s secret plan for Windows 8 is . . . to pile on more of what you don’t like about Windows 8."
Microsoft

"From a strategy standpoint, however, the leaked Blue build speaks volumes about how Microsoft views the future of computing in the wake of what many see as a disastrous Windows 8 launch......
Nothing has changed. Nothing.
That is, Microsoft still sees the touch-centric Metro environment as the future of mainstream computing. There are no improvements to the desktop environment in Windows 8"
What the

 

[Night Hawk]

i was generalizing about the endless posts and threads slamming 8, not just on this forum, on the internet in general.
its become really boring. given that 8 is based on the 7 structure then i dont see how folks can have too much of a problem with usage,
i understand they may dislike the look and feel of it but i dont think it warrants the hate that is going around.
reminds me of die hard XP users.

Boohbah, you can't compare the XP situation to W7/W8, it's like apples and oranges.
When Vista came out, at least it wasn't aimed at killing the desktop, but W8 is, and Blue is continuing the trend.
You want to know what "warrants the hate going around", it's that M$ is in the process of ditching the desktop for no good reason.

And what are they replacing it with? A touchscreen tablet/phone interface. No choices, no preferences, take it or leave it.
This is not a passing fancy. W8 is not M$'s ultimate goal, it's a stepping stone, and if they get their way, our desktop's days are numbered.

Some keep parroting that anyone who doesn't like W8 just doesn't like "CHANGE". As if "change" in and of itself is automatically a good thing. Well what profound truth is that theory based on?
"Change" can be bad or good. It's only great when it's a step forward, and W8 /Blue doesn't qualify.

Ditching the desktop environment and perfectly good W7 OS for an unattractive, unintuitive swipe/drag touchscreen tablet/phone interface, with no choice, no options, is NOT good unless you're just into tablets.

So yes, there are a lot of us out here who hate what M$ is doing to the desktop.
Wouldn't people hate it if M$ decided you have to use a Mouse for your phone and tablet?? Think about it!
What's the difference? Touchscreens for desktops are as useful as a mouse for tablets and phones.

Paul Thurrott says about Blue:
"It appears that Microsoft’s secret plan for Windows 8 is . . . to pile on more of what you don’t like about Windows 8."
Microsoft

"From a strategy standpoint, however, the leaked Blue build speaks volumes about how Microsoft views the future of computing in the wake of what many see as a disastrous Windows 8 launch......
Nothing has changed. Nothing.
That is, Microsoft still sees the touch-centric Metro environment as the future of mainstream computing. There are no improvements to the desktop environment in Windows 8"
What the

Well spoken! Just remember the 8 fan club doesn't want to hear any negatives no matter what about 8! But the "Reality Check" is in! And 8 suffers from the MS goal of Tablet/Mobile marketing strategies as well as what appears to subscription OSing?

MS is taking a major stride to bash the competitions from Google-atorium as well as the Fruit company especially when you hear about the idea of a new tablet with a small 7" IPad competitor type display compressing things down further thus alienating the bulk of desktop users in the long run!

The facts are people want options not head pounding when MS decides to gum up the works! And of course this is where the actual analogy comes into play. You summed that up quite well in one sentence alone!

Ditching the desktop environment and perfectly good W7 OS for an unattractive, unintuitive swipe/drag touchscreen tablet/phone interface, with no choice, no options, is NOT good unless you're just into tablets.

For the seasoned desktop user who does not own a tablet or smartless phone to text buddies with one look at how MS overturned the conventional and "Brain Storm" type success seen in 7 has been reduced to rumble in more ways then one! But iit wasn't just the Metro or "Modern" alone that deals a blow but what explains why the low price tags this time around namely things being stripped out of the traditional desktop OS "in favor of" note their new strategy to grab market place shares.

"Well gee I can find my way around in 8 without problem!" "hey 8 boots up faster!" "I like the feel of the new version!" and you hear it all from a few while the mainstream looks on with "what is this crap MS came out with?!" as people compare a working desktop OS with proven success to "who the what is this?".

The 8 fan club immediately barks "Hey you bashing 8!" while the facts speak for themselves in the long run. Those who love to come up with customized themes are now scratching heads looking at large bland buttons on a full screen tablet Start screen instead changing the 3D objects setting in Appearance and Personalization.

Instead you have a lame slide bar adjuster to replace Aero without any consideration for the user there either! While some options for being able to change the background have been found the user still can't apply or come up with custom themes for their own desktop look due to Tablet-itis and limited choices. It kind of reminds me of going back to 3.1 where you certainly couldn't do much of anything! You had some items on a still in development desktop gui without options!

 

[FerchogtX]

It kind of reminds me of going back to 3.1 where you certainly couldn't do much of anything! You had some items on a still in development desktop gui without options!

Just what I thought when I tested CP... a backwards step... Heck... even the titles for windows are centered, just like old 3.11 days...

 

[boohbah]

im not the 8 fan club, i have 8 and i like it ,i decided to post in this thread as it is becoming tiresome reading the same old crap being spouted on a daily basis.
8 is here. why do people feel the need to harp on and on about it, those who dont like 8 dont use it,simple.
its not that you are being forced to use it, 7 will continue to be supported for some time.
the amusing thing is the loudest bitching about it is coming from people who dont/wont use it ,
before you start rattling your cages with claims that 8 is pre loaded on OEM's so it is forced.
then the alternative is to force a different OS (presuambly 7, and presumably you would approve of that
xp users didnt like that.)
or allow people a range of OS's to choose from which is obviously impractical from a business sense.

 

[Dallas 7]

im not the 8 fan club, i have 8 and i like it ,i decided to post in this thread as it is becoming tiresome reading the same old crap being spouted on a daily basis.
8 is here. why do people feel the need to harp on and on about it, those who dont like 8 dont use it,simple.
its not that you are being forced to use it, 7 will continue to be supported for some time.
the amusing thing is the loudest bitching about it is coming from people who dont/wont use it ,
before you start rattling your cages with claims that 8 is pre loaded on OEM's so it is forced.
then the alternative is to force a different OS (presuambly 7, and presumably you would approve of that
xp users didnt like that.)
or allow people a range of OS's to choose from which is obviously impractical from a business sense.

Would you use tablets and phones designed for a mouse? No?
Then why would we use a desktop OS designed for a touchscreen?

Touchscreens for a desktop are as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
Of course we don't use it, we don't like it! Why would we use it if we don't like it?

I agree boohbah, It'd be great if MS offered OS choices, but they didn't.
That's the problem, they offer a screen door on a submarine and tell us to take it or leave it. No choices, no options, no preferences. And now Blue is offering even more of the same.

The problem is not just W8, it's that they're systematically throwing the desktop under the bus!

 

[Night Hawk]

It kind of reminds me of going back to 3.1 where you certainly couldn't do much of anything! You had some items on a still in development desktop gui without options!

Just what I thought when I tested CP... a backwards step... Heck... even the titles for windows are centered, just like old 3.11 days...

I have to take a look from an objective postition when saying that seeing how thiese types of changes MS is making with their main desktop product can leave you stumped! It was one thing to see the MinWin kernel introduced with 7 as a wey to refine the desktop OS even further as a form of progress to continue with each newer version to come.

But to trash the gui for that particular platform as well as strip out the features people were accustomed to? makes it less of an OS. One example is comparing 8 to how the embedded CE 6.0 edition of 7 is found on a smartbook. You immediately notice how limited the embedded OS can be fast! While 8 isn't that far downhill yet you can see the trend MS could be pursuing.

im not the 8 fan club, i have 8 and i like it ,i decided to post in this thread as it is becoming tiresome reading the same old crap being spouted on a daily basis.
8 is here. why do people feel the need to harp on and on about it, those who dont like 8 dont use it,simple.
its not that you are being forced to use it, 7 will continue to be supported for some time.
the amusing thing is the loudest bitching about it is coming from people who dont/wont use it ,
before you start rattling your cages with claims that 8 is pre loaded on OEM's so it is forced.
then the alternative is to force a different OS (presuambly 7, and presumably you would approve of that
xp users didnt like that.)
or allow people a range of OS's to choose from which is obviously impractical from a business sense.

Would you use tablets and phones designed for a mouse? No?
Then why would we use a desktop OS designed for a touchscreen?

Touchscreens for a desktop are as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
Of course we don't use it, we don't like it! Why would we use it if we don't like it?

I agree boohbah, It'd be great if MS offered OS choices, but they didn't.
That's the problem, they offer a screen door on a submarine and tell us to take it or leave it. No choices, no options, no preferences. And now Blue is offering even more of the same.

The problem is not just W8, it's that they're systematically throwing the desktop under the bus!

Touchscreen for tablet still doesn't work out for the desktop platform being the number #1 issue! Simply stating fact isn't bashing the OS but the decision makers at MS who trashed the OS as well as Not Providing options for the user! Hindsight seems to be prevailing following the hugh success 7 saw and then seeing the working form of desktop OS turned into something else.

As far as the loudest complaints it comes from those "Who Have" tried 8 and found it wasn't something they want! There are other reasons besides just Metro or "Modern" to look at as well.

 

[DeaconFrost]

As far as the loudest complaints it comes from those "Who Have" tried 8 and found it wasn't something they want! There are other reasons besides just Metro or "Modern" to look at as well.

No, the loudest and most argumentative are from the ones who haven't actually used it, or decided within 5 minutes they weren't going to use it. There have been many threads on here, some probably deleted by name, due to the flaming by such people...only to later admit they didn't have much experience with it.

I'm sure there are some who have tried it...legitimately tried it, and decided not to use it. So be it. But I still have to ask why those people feel the need to bash the product and those who do use it? My four systems are split between two Windows 7 and two Windows 8 systems. I can see pros and cons to both. Why in the hell does anyone need to be bashed for using one or the other?

Fact is, Windows 8 is actually a very good OS. It runs well, it tests faster than 7, and it has some great features. There is no need or valid reason to bash it, aside from saying that the default desktop should have been offered as a choice...so you can choose Metro or Start Menu. Not a big deal, as it can be fixed easily, but that's about the only valid complaint. Windows 7 is also a very good OS...so people have choices.

The summary of my point is...it's perfectly fine to choose 7 over 8. What crosses the line to illogical and unnecessary is bashing Windows 8 or those who decide to use it.

 

[Night Hawk]

I think the main concern by most right off the top is simple to understand! That is MS suddenly deciding to take the RT gu designed for touch and swipe tablet and slapping on the next desktop release which made little sense other then to promote their own new Surface Tablet line by making all new systems look the same! That was a marketing decision that will end up with some repercussions.

Upon looking at one graphic chart for the trends being seen for different versions as well as a few other OSs 8 is down along side OS X while XP is seeing a constant nose dive and 7 sales leveling off after 3yrs. time which would be the norm for any version. XP simply saw more sales this long due to the large gap of time between versions.

Now as for simply criticizing any new version doesn't automatically label someone as an "8 Basher"! With the way MS has gone about upturning the desktop platform as far as the loss of the desktop gui for a new tablet look simply isn't going to go over well no matter how good things are at the core level. You can have a 100% flawless OS still be seen as unusable when tampering with the things people "expect" to find and then get "something else" instead?

It's nice to see that MS had made progress with the MinWin kernel while at the same time not too inviting at how they just went ahead and stripped other things out of the OS they expect you to pay for! And the findings here with both the CP and RP builds was that 8 wasn't "so much faster" then 7 simply from saving a few seconds at startup! Overall 8 was lightweight due more to seeing less in it! That also made it less of an OS considering how well 7 worked out.

With the 32bit 7 if I had stayed with the 32bit OS and not moved into the 64bit as I had planned on doing back long before the 7 beta builds came along I would be running everything going back to Legacy where there would be some you just couldn't run anyways! On the 64bit 7 I gave up on some in favor of the 64bit OS. With 8 however some more plus less features and a new Tablet gui requiring a 3rd party solution despite whatever core improvements were seen made 8 a no go! It wasn't going to be worth the time especially trying to justify replacing a working OS(7) with it!

Obviously for the 8 fan club the software environment as well as other things are different there where 8 will work out for them just like any other version. For simply checking the mail and browsing the web I don't even need any Windows version for that! A simple live disk or live usb stick with a browser will take care of that if not having a smarty or I something or other.

The chioces as well as adivces I have to give others however has to be based on "What Does" and "What Doesn't" work! When asked about 7 and told about by a friend he would be buying a slightly used 8 laptop and was wondering about 7 instead never having run more then a passing look at the 7 RC I had to explain that would depend mainly on if the OEM had originally seen the same model where 7 came preinstalled in order to see if it had 7 drivers and updates available for it.

It's not a touch and swipe laptop and the touch pad is crazy likely from a defect where a separate mouse has to be plugged in in order to even use it! Now is that the "8 blame game" too? What gets you however is the original buyer had the option of returning the problematic laptop for one with 7 on it instead and didn't bother simply selling if off for a discount. Check the mail and social networking is the skill level there.

 

[boohbah]

you lost me at "i think".

 

[Dallas 7]

.....Fact is, Windows 8 is actually a very good OS......

Whether W8 is a good OS isn't exactly the issue. W8 is good for what it was designed for, touchscreens and mobile units, not desktops, and there's a reason for that. M$ wants to kill the desktop. Many in the industry are already predicting that they're planning to totally ditch the desktop for W9.

W8 was the 1st real step in that direction, and Blue is the second step.
Microsoft's not doing that because the market wants it, they're doing it because Microsoft wants it!
So are you ultimately in favor of ditching the desktop like Microsoft is?
Are you ready to give up your desktop for a tablet? I'm not!

IMO a vote for W8 is a vote to kill the desktop and I cannot agree to that.

 

[Night Hawk]

you lost me at "i think".

Hope you got your rest when going to reread that again! You'll need it!

.....Fact is, Windows 8 is actually a very good OS......

Whether W8 is a good OS isn't exactly the issue. W8 is good for what it was designed for, touchscreens and mobile units, not desktops, and there's a reason for that. M$ wants to kill the desktop. Many in the industry are already predicting that they're planning to totally ditch the desktop for W9.

W8 was the 1st real step in that direction, and Blue is the second step.
Microsoft's not doing that because the market wants it, they're doing it because Microsoft wants it!
So are you ultimately in favor of ditching the desktop like Microsoft is?
Are you ready to give up your desktop for a tablet? I'm not!

IMO a vote for W8 is a vote to kill the desktop, and I cannot agree to that.

Blue will prove to be much like 98SE was to 98 with more of the same that people are up in arms about! While the core elements besides stripping away at features and bringing the price tags down and no longer seeing the high end editions sold on retail shelves which also makes no sense and can explain another type of slump the RT gui designed for tablet and not working up a desktop touch and swipe type gui instead is where MS is goofing with the desktop users in order to promote their new tablets.

The entire thing is obvious as a marketing decision to see 8 made to look just like RT but on desktops and laptops like a big promo for Surface rather then an actual new desktop release. The strategy is still to have a new desktop version out while promoting Surface at the user expense and inconvenience! MS doesn't seem to be worried if the desktop 8 flops like ME since they are invested in Surface not necessarily intent on doing away with the desktop but stalling on coming up with something worth looking at that won't need any 3rd party apps!

A VLC pseudo version not the actual VLC is found at the Metro apps store since WMP13 lacks codecs for dvd playback and MS slapping a freebie dvd player. One More VLC for Windows 8 Clone Shows Up in the Store - Softpedia

 

[DeaconFrost]

Whether W8 is a good OS isn't exactly the issue. W8 is good for what it was designed for, touchscreens and mobile units, not desktops.

That's absolutely the issue...whether or not it is a good OS or junk that so many feel the need to preach about how awful it is. It is most definitely for desktops...and that's the part that kills me...that so many people are getting hung up on the Metro interface. As I said above, the only real issue is that the choice of UI should have been given to the user. But it really is a non-issue, since so many 3rd party apps restore the Start Menu functionality. Once you do that, Windows 8 is every bit as capable as a desktop OS as Windows 7, and in many cases, it outperforms Windows 7. Maximum PC and CPU mag have both confirmed that in most games, the performance edge, while slight, goes to Windows 8.

Saying it's not a good OS just shows how narrow-focused people are when evaluating it. Yes, it sucks that it needs a 3rd-party app....but those are often free and plentiful in choice. It's a simple fix for the only real speedbump the OS has.

Microsoft is simply trying to streamline their UI across all devices. No one complains when Apple tries to do this. No one seems to be complaining that Ubuntu is doing this as well, including their mobile OS. Yet many people complain that Android doesn't have a standard UI.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Microsoft is simply trying to streamline their UI across all devices. No one complains when Apple tries to do this. No one seems to be complaining that Ubuntu is doing this as well, including their mobile OS. Yet many people complain that Android doesn't have a standard UI.

Based on market share, very few people use OS X anyway (compared to Windows).
Lots of people are forced to use Windows at work, but not many are forced to use OS X.

I have read comments from people complaining about how the new versions of various Mac programs have had features stripped out.
Presumably that is to "soften up" users for the eventual porting to iOS.

A lot of "old timers" abandoned Ubuntu, because of Unity and GNOME 3.
I swapped to Linux Mint MATE because of Unity and GNOME 3.

The only good thing I've got to say about Unity, is that (IMO) it's less annoying than Metro.

 

[Dallas 7]

Whether W8 is a good OS isn't exactly the issue. W8 is good for what it was designed for, touchscreens and mobile units, not desktops.

.......It is most definitely for desktops...and that's the part that kills me...that so many people are getting hung up on the Metro interface. As I said above, the only real issue is that the choice of UI should have been given to the user......

You're right, "the choice should've been given to the user", but it WASN'T! And why not?
Do you think they just forgot? Or maybe they meant to give us some options in BLUE but they just forgot again? What does that say for the future of the desktop?

How hard would it have been to just add an X in the top right of the screen as an option to close a program rather than require the user to swipe the screen from top to bottom like you'd do with a PHONE?
Oh wait, swipe like a phone? I thought 8 was "definitely for desktops"?

Deacon this is a legitimate question, please help me with this.....
Would you favor a desktop interface for your phone/tablet that was optimised for a mouse?
If not, why is it OK to stick desktop users with a phone/tablet interface optimised for touchscreen/swipe?

You said it "kills" you "that so many people are getting hung up on the Metro interface".
Since you already admitted that "the choice should've been given to the user", then shouldn't you be upset at Microsoft instead of your fellow desktop users?

We didn't screw up, Microsoft did, by your own admission.
Give us a break Deacon. Instead of expecting us to fix MS's screwups with 3rd party software that only fixes part of the mess, why not expect MS to clean up their own screw ups?
Then we can ALL be happy, and not just some of us.